Thomas S. Monson named as new LDS Church president

President Thomas S. Monson, center, has been ordained and set apart as the 16th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the church announced Monday. President Henry B. Eyring, left, and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf were named as first and second counselors, respectively, in the First Presidency.

Tom Smart, Deseret Morning News

Summary

Newly-named LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson told reporters on Monday there will be no abrupt change in the faith's initiatives or outreach throughout the world, and the church will continue to work cooperatively with people of other faiths.

Newly-named LDS Church President Thomas S. Monson told reporters on Monday there will be no abrupt change in the faith's initiatives or outreach throughout the world, and the church will continue to work cooperatively with people of other faiths.

President Monson was named 16th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during a morning press conference at the Church Office Building, a move widely anticipated by Latter-day Saints after the death of President Gordon B. Hinckley on Jan. 27.

President Henry B. Eyring and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf were named as first and second counselors, respectively, in the First Presidency, filing into the building's main lobby behind President Monson to the clicking of cameras, as speculation about who would comprise the new presiding body of the church was put to rest.

Flanked on either side by President Eyring, a former educator and Harvard-trained businessman, and President Uchtdorf, a native German commercial pilot and airline executive before being called to the Quorum of the Twelve in October 2004, President Monson said he is in good health and intends to travel to help administer the affairs of the 13 million-member church worldwide.

"Traveling is difficult when you go for long stretches at a time, but you always come back refreshed, feeling that you've accomplished something," he said. "I'm on my knees before I go anywhere in this world."

He said he was diagnosed with type II diabetes several years ago, but the disease is under control.

When asked about his appointment as the first non-North American counselor in the First Presidency in nearly a century, President Uchtdorf said, "I learned quickly in the church that we're not representing a nation or country or ethnic group. We are ... representing the Church of Jesus Christ. We are representatives of Him."

Some have questioned in recent years how well top church leadership  most of whom were born and raised in the United States  understand the unique challenges Latter-day Saints face around the globe, particularly in the developing world.

President Uchtdorf said his wife told him he doesn't have to worry about his accent, because more than half of the church's members speak with something other than an English accent. He said the faith is more than global, "it's a universal church" that has the power to "combine and unite and bring all nations and ethnic groups together."

He credited President Monson with seeking to build bridges among people of all nations, ethnic groups and languages, seeing them as "no more foreigners" but fellow citizens "in the kingdom of God."

Founded in 1830 by a frontier prophet in tiny Fayette, N.Y., and known as an American-born faith, the LDS Church now has members in 176 nations, and more members live outside the United States than within its borders. In recent years, it has grown most rapidly in Central and South America.

At age 67, President Uchtdorf was one of the youngest members of the Quorum of the Twelve and said he is "joyfully overwhelmed" by his new responsibilities. "It's something which is a great honor. I'm very humbled by the call. I know this call must have come from God, because human beings might have had a difficult time to do the same."

As the church continues to grow around the world, President Monson said the growth of temple-building seen during President Hinckley's administration will continue, and he looks forward to the dedication of the newest temple  the 125th built by the church  in Rexburg, Idaho, this weekend.

When asked if women should seek education as a means of personal fulfillment, rather than simply as preparation for possible divorce or death of a spouse, he said preparation for any eventuality is important and that personal satisfaction comes from setting educational goals and achieving them.